好色导航

Welcome to 6th Grade Social Studies!!!     

Overview

6th Grade Social Studies will be different when compared to Social Studies classes your child has previously taken. While the majority of time in your child's previous history courses has been focused on America, 6th grade history takes a much different approach. According to the Arizona State Standards,

"Sixth grade students will understand the cultural, religious, economic, and political systems of selected societies in the Eastern Hemisphere. Regions in the Eastern Hemisphere include the Middle East and North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, Asia (east, south, and southeast), and Oceania."

The civilizations/ groups of people we will be studying will be broken down as follows.

The above timeline may not be exact. For example, we may start Egypt during the first quarter, but the bulk of it will be during the second quarter. Likewise, the majority of ancient Rome will be taught during the third quarter but may bleed into the fourth quarter.

Canvas vs. Powerschool

Canvas will be the tool I utilize to have students submit digital assignments. It will be the platform I use to push digital assignments out and is the tool students need use to turn in digital assignments. While Canvas does have a gradebook component, your child's grade will come from Powerschool. For grade information, please make sure to monitor Powerschool. Grades in Powerschool will be listed by the assignment name in Canvas.

Grades

Currently our district is in the process of transitioning back to a traditional grading system. At the district level, grades will continue to be weighted towards assessments, but not as much as in the previous year. There will be two categories in the gradebook, Coursework & Assessments. Assignments and classwork will be put into the Coursework Category and count towards 20% of the overall grade, and assessments will count towards 80% of the overall grade. 

好色导航work

Students will not have daily homework in Social Studies. If homework were to occur, it generally takes the shape in one of two forms. First, students may simply need to complete something that was started in class. It could be a situation in which we started something but didn't have quite enough time to finish it. If that were to occur, homework should probably take around 10 minutes maximum. It could also be a situation in which the student was not working as diligently as the assignment dictated. If this were to occur, the amount of time needed to complete work at home would be a reflection of how much was accomplished in the classroom. In addition, the second form homework in Social Studies would take is to simply study for upcoming tests. I will let students know several days in advance when an assessment is coming, and will recommend to study for 10 - 15 minutes each night. It is much better to study in smaller chunks multiple days before a test rather than cramming everything into one night. Regardless of what type of homework occurs, I will have students write it in their planners.

Absences and Coursework/Assessments

If students have an excused absent when an assignment is due, the guidelines established by the district for when the coursework or assessment needs to be submitted will be followed. However, considering the vast majority of coursework is available online through Canvas, it is highly encouraged students complete coursework at home while they are absent, provided they are well enough, in order they do not fall too far behind in their studies. Assessments will not be available to be done at home, students will simply need to make them up when they return.

Late Work and Late Assessments

Simply put, both coursework and assessments are due the day they are due. However at times, for a variety of reasons, work and tests are not completed in as timely of fashion as they should be. If something, assessment or coursework, is not completed on its scheduled due date, a score of 49% will be entered in the gradebook, and it will be flagged with a code of "M" for missing. If the coursework or assessment is made-up within 5 days of the end of the unit, the student will receive whatever grade he or she has earned without penalty while the assignment will be flagged with an "L" for late. If the coursework or assessment is not made-up within 5 days of the end of the unit, both the grade of 49% and the code for missing will remain in gradebook. This 5 day grace period marks a significant departure from last year's grading policy and is inline with the new district guidelines.

Extra Credit

According to district guidelines there will be no extra credit given.

Retakes

Students will be given the opportunity to retake assessments in a timely manner to demonstrate mastery. However, students must demonstrate learning has occurred before the retake is given. This starts with making sure all work for a unit of study has been submitted. Classwork and assignments are the building blocks that help students prepare for a test. If those building blocks are missing, there will be gaps in knowledge which may be part of the reason a retake is needed in the first place. In addition, students will also need to correct their initial test. This can be done by reviewing notes and or previous assignments. Once both of these have been completed, students will review their corrected test with me, and then a retake will given provided the initial test was corrected accurately. Students will have 10 days to complete any missing work and correct their test from date their graded test is available to be viewed. At the end of this 10 day grace period, retakes will no longer be allowed, and the original test grade will stand.

Note: The retake will be different than the original test. The content of the test will not change, but the way students demonstrate mastery will.